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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mug — a cup
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — happy
  11. root — of a word
  12. content — the amount
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mug — a face
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. root — the cause
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. chair — a leader

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