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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. drill — army training
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. ball — a great time
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ball — a dance
  13. file — a document
  14. fork — in a road
  15. branch — a division
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. drill — the tool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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