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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. court — for sport
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stem — to come from
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — the month
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. march — music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. court — of law
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. court — of a king
  19. march — the month
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. leaves — to go away

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