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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. perch — the fish
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. track — a song
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. land — ground
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. track — a path
  15. shower — rain
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. land — to come down
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. shower — to wash
  24. land — a country

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