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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — to drop
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. kid — to tease
  10. season — of the year
  11. key — in music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. kid — child
  17. prune — to trim
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. fall — the season
  22. key — the most important part
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. jam — a tight spot

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