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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — a city
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. capital — money
  12. spell — a short time
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wind — moving air
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pound — a weight
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. lie — an untruth

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