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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. season — in sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. season — of the year
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — a lid
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. snap — to click
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. kick — in football
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kick — with a leg

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