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

Word bank: present · clip · bark · bowl · wave · cap · jam · tear

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tear — from crying
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. present — a gift
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tear — to rip
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. present — the time now
  22. cap — a hat
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — there

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