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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 water is too ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cold — not warm
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — ground
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bank — for money
  11. land — a country
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a trace
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bank — for money
  24. land — to come down

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