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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. present — the time now
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. present — there
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. drill — army training
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. row — a line
  23. present — a gift
  24. bat — for baseball

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