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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. snap — to click
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ball — a dance
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. row — to paddle
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — a line
  17. rock — a stone
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rock — music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. ball — a great time
  24. trunk — of a tree

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