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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wake — a trail
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rest — a break
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rest — what's left
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. roll — a cake
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. row — to paddle
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. row — a line
  23. roll — a list
  24. pitcher — a jug

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