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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — electric
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. current — happening now
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mark — a grade
  10. march — the month
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. land — to come down
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. land — ground
  15. march — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rush — hurry
  22. current — of water
  23. land — a country
  24. march — the month

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