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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wax — to grow
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ground — a position
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. deal — to handle
  24. ground — crushed

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