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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 120 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. net — after costs
  5. rash — a series
  6. row — a line
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lean — to bend
  9. row — to paddle
  10. net — in sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spring — a coil
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. season — in sport
  16. lean — thin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — for catching
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. season — of the year
  24. nail — on a finger

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