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

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pop — to visit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mug — a face
  5. field — a subject
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. track — a song
  12. press — to push
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — farmland
  19. tear — from crying
  20. press — newspapers
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mug — a cup
  24. field — for sport

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