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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. board — a committee
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — wild animals
  11. dip — to sink
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. root — of a word
  15. bank — for money
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. game — a match
  20. bank — of a river
  21. board — to get on
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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