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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. present — there
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. present — the time now
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. present — a gift
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. clip — a video
  24. bark — of a tree

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