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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. spell — a short time
  3. scale — size or range
  4. press — to push
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. land — a country
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. press — newspapers
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spell — letters
  23. scale — in music
  24. spell — magic

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