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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. last — final
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. land — a country
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — to go on
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. last — finally
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — a series
  17. bank — for money
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. land — ground
  21. toast — bread
  22. spell — magic
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. land — to come down

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