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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bass — low music
  9. kid — to tease
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — child
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bass — the fish
  24. nail — for a hammer

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