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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. march — the month
  4. shower — rain
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. march — music
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. shower — to wash
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pass — a permit
  15. file — a tool
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wound — an injury
  20. file — a document
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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