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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. spell — letters
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. current — happening now
  11. land — a country
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. current — of water
  14. land — ground
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — magic
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spell — a short time
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. land — to come down
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. race — the arms race
  24. current — electric

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