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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mark — a grade
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. club — for golf
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. tear — to rip
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. club — a group
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tear — from crying
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. clip — to cut
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — a video
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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