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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wake — a trail
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — farmland
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. field — for sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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