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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. club — for golf
  3. wound — an injury
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. club — for dancing
  7. field — farmland
  8. bank — of a river
  9. club — a group
  10. field — a subject
  11. current — of water
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. row — a line
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. current — happening now
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. current — electric

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