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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. object — an aim
  3. court — for sport
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — the underground
  7. object — a thing
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. tube — a container
  20. root — of a plant
  21. object — to protest
  22. spell — letters
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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