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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mine — for digging
  9. field — a subject
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. squash — to crush
  12. field — farmland
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rash — a series
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. squash — the sport
  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