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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: wound · cap · straw · bear · wave · bark · plane · ruler

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cap — a lid
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bark — to shout
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. plane — a tool

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