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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. file — a document
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mate — to breed
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. file — a line of people
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mate — a partner
  21. file — a tool
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pound — a weight
  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