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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bound — tied together
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — to visit
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. shower — rain
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bound — certain
  24. shower — to wash

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