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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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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. shower — rain
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pass — a permit
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rock — music
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bank — for money
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — a stone

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