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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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