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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. shower — rain
  11. club — a group
  12. march — music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — thin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. club — for dancing

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