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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rush — hurry
  4. field — a subject
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. land — ground
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. land — a country
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hide — to keep secret

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