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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. season — of the year
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. swing — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stock — shares
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stock — goods
  20. cue — a hint
  21. tear — from crying
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. stem — to come from

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