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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stock — goods
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. can — a tin
  10. stock — shares
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mine — for digging
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. craft — boats
  22. field — a subject
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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