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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 lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. net — in sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — to bear
  11. last — to go on
  12. lean — thin
  13. net — for catching
  14. last — final
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. last — finally
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. net — after costs

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