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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. field — a subject
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. snap — to click
  6. mug — to rob
  7. field — farmland
  8. mug — a face
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. field — for sport
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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