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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. club — for golf
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. club — a group
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. object — an aim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. object — to protest
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. club — for dancing
  15. object — a thing
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lean — thin
  24. cap — a lid

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