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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. land — a country
  7. wound — an injury
  8. land — ground
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rash — hasty
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. land — to come down
  24. can — a tin

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