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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. capital — money
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pop — soda
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. capital — a city
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. march — the month
  15. season — of the year
  16. march — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. march — the month
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — in sport
  22. object — a thing
  23. pop — music
  24. patient — a sick person

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