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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — the month
  6. kid — child
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. club — for golf
  10. spell — magic
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spell — letters
  15. club — a group
  16. march — the month
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kid — to tease
  21. march — music
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. club — for dancing

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