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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rash — a series
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. dip — to sink
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. march — music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bear — the animal
  24. row — a line

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