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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · wave · mine · tear · wake · bark · lean · pitch

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bark — to shout
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lean — thin
  24. wake — a trail

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