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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: wave · prune · bark · field · lean · present · rash · capital

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rash — hasty
  3. field — a subject
  4. capital — money
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. rash — a series
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. capital — a city
  15. lean — thin
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. field — for sport
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. present — there
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. field — farmland

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