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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. last — finally
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. object — a thing
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mark — a trace
  11. last — to go on
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. band — a music group
  15. last — final
  16. band — a ring
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. object — to protest
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. object — an aim
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitcher — a jug

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