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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a music group
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. band — a ring
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. root — of a word
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. root — the cause
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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