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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. land — a country
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. land — to come down
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. craft — boats
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rash — a series
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rash — on the skin

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