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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — help
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — a subject
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. net — for catching
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — soda
  11. net — in sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. hand — in cards
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — to bend
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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