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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. season — in sport
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. season — of the year
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. mine — for digging
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bound — certain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rock — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bound — obliged
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wave — of the sea

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