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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. craft — boats
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rule — a law
  11. drill — the tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rule — government
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. drill — army training

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