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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chair — a leader
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. race — the arms race
  6. row — a line
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. prune — to trim
  16. race — humankind
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. race — a contest

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