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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. land — a country
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. land — ground
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ground — a position
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cue — a signal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — rain
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. land — to come down

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