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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. track — a path
  8. season — in sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — of the year
  14. march — the month
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. march — music
  17. ball — a dance
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. track — a song
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ball — a great time
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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