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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — to come down
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. land — ground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ground — the earth
  19. land — a country
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mark — a grade
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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