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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. field — farmland
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. field — for sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — a subject
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tear — from crying
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rash — a series
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tear — to rip

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