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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. charge — a price
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. charge — in control
  18. bulb — for light
  19. craft — boats
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rash — a series

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