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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. row — to paddle
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cell — a phone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rest — what's left
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cell — in biology
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  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