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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · chair · dip · rush · sharp · wave · bark · lie

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. ground — a position
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chair — a leader
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rush — hurry

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