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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fall — the season
  5. staff — a stick
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — a country
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. net — in sport
  22. land — ground
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pass — to spend time

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