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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. toast — bread
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mine — for digging
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bass — the fish
  14. net — in sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bass — low music
  17. row — a line
  18. net — after costs
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. row — to paddle

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