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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cold — not warm
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bound — certain
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bound — obliged
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. row — a line
  17. march — the month
  18. date — the fruit
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bound — tied together

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