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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pop — to visit
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pop — soda
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — for golf
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rash — hasty
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. field — a subject
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pop — music
  24. rash — a series

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