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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 120 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. scale — in music
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. scale — size or range
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rock — a stone
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rock — music
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  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