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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — a stick
  5. spell — magic
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. clip — for paper
  8. staff — employees
  9. march — music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — to cut
  14. spell — letters
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. clip — a video
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bore — to drill
  21. date — the fruit
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bore — gave birth

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