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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. march — the month
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bear — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — music
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bass — low music
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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