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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. track — a path
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — to keep track
  15. snap — to click
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. track — a song
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. branch — 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