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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. net — after costs
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — in sport
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. foot — a measure
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. net — for catching
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kick — in football
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. foot — part of the body

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