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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. staff — a stick
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. staff — employees
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — the season
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. staff — employees
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wave — with your hand

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