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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. ground — the earth
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. branch — a division
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. ball — a dance
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tear — to rip
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ground — a position
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. row — a line
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ground — crushed
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rash — a series
  24. tear — from crying

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