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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. land — to come down
  3. degree — an amount
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. land — a country
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. land — ground

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