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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lean — to bend
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. track — a path
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. land — a country
  13. lean — thin
  14. land — ground
  15. track — a song
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. prune — to trim
  22. land — to come down
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. lean — to rest against

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