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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. stand — to bear
  6. spring — of water
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. spring — the season
  11. field — for sport
  12. roll — a list
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. field — a subject
  15. board — a committee
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. field — farmland
  21. board — to get on
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. shower — to wash
  24. spring — a coil

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