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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. stock — shares
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. club — a group
  9. chest — a box
  10. stock — goods
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. chest — of your body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chest — of your body
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wake — a trail

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