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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. object — an aim
  6. degree — temperature
  7. field — for sport
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. object — a thing
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. object — to protest
  14. degree — an amount
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lean — thin
  17. field — a subject
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rush — hurry
  21. field — farmland
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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