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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 116 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. field — a subject
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. row — a line
  11. field — for sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hand — in cards
  21. field — farmland
  22. hand — help
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — to paddle

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