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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. land — ground
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. prune — to trim
  6. land — to come down
  7. pop — soda
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rush — hurry
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. degree — an amount
  16. land — a country
  17. pop — to visit
  18. degree — from a university
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mark — a grade
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pop — music
  23. mark — a trace
  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