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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. race — humankind
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spell — letters
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. current — happening now
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. current — electric
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. dip — to sink
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — of water

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