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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. club — for golf
  9. track — a path
  10. spring — a coil
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spring — of water
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — low music
  21. track — a song
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com