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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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Word bank
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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. march — the month
  5. field — for sport
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. field — a subject
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — the month
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. field — farmland
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — music
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. swing — to play on

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