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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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 — with your hand
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fall — the season
  5. club — for dancing
  6. snap — to click
  7. club — a group
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. club — for golf
  17. mug — a face
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bulb — for light
  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