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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. shower — rain
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. stand — to bear
  10. field — for sport
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mate — a friend
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. field — a subject
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mate — to breed
  22. field — farmland
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. stand — for spectators

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