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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rest — what's left
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. row — a line
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bore — to tire
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rest — a break
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spell — letters
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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