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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 120 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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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: bark · wave · land · calf · pit · content · field · arm

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. land — to come down
  6. content — the amount
  7. land — a country
  8. field — a subject
  9. land — ground
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pit — in a race
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pit — a hole

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