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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. last — final
  3. club — a group
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. branch — a division
  8. last — to go on
  9. track — a path
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — for golf
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. land — ground
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. last — finally
  24. club — for dancing

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