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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pop — soda
  18. bat — the animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. snap — to click
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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