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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. hand — help
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rest — a break
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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