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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: snap · lie · swing · hide · present · wake · bark · wave

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. present — a gift
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. swing — music
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bark — to shout
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. swing — to play on
  23. lie — to recline
  24. snap — to click

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