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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 120 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bound — certain
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. staff — employees
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. staff — employees
  15. object — a thing
  16. season — in sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. object — an aim
  19. bound — tied together
  20. object — to protest
  21. chest — a box
  22. shower — rain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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