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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 124 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. cell — a phone
  7. drill — the tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. clip — for paper
  11. drill — army training
  12. clip — a video
  13. drill — a practice
  14. tear — from crying
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cell — in biology
  19. clip — to cut
  20. roll — a list
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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