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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: dip · race · nail · wave · rest · racket · bark · hand

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rest — what's left
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rest — what's left
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. hand — help
  10. bark — to shout
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rest — a break
  18. race — a contest
  19. hand — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wave — of the sea

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