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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bass — low music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. tear — to rip
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spell — magic
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — letters
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tear — from crying

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