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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. present — the time now
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. present — a gift
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — to come down
  9. present — there
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. land — a country
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  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