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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bank — of a river
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bank — for money
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fork — in a road

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