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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 124 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. shower — rain
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. band — a ring
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. shower — to wash
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. band — a music group
  24. bore — to drill

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