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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — there
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. present — a gift
  8. object — to protest
  9. band — a music group
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. object — a thing
  15. present — the time now
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cold — an illness
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — the fish
  24. object — an aim

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