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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rock — music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. drill — the tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. field — for sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — help
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — farmland
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bank — of a river

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