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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. land — a country
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. land — ground
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. plane — a tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. land — to come down
  21. chest — a box
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. sharp — exactly

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