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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. board — to get on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — to grow
  15. board — a committee
  16. bear — the animal
  17. field — for sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. field — farmland
  22. rest — a break
  23. field — a subject
  24. bat — in an idiom

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