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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. clip — for paper
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — of the year
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. object — a thing
  10. wound — an injury
  11. root — the cause
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. season — in sport
  15. wake — a trail
  16. clip — a video
  17. object — to protest
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bulb — for light
  21. root — of a plant
  22. object — an aim
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wave — with your hand

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