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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pop — soda
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rule — government
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pop — music
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fork — in a road

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