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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 120 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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. content — happy
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — the animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bark — to shout
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pound — a weight
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. content — the amount
  24. stem — to come from

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