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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. can — a tin
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. drill — army training
  11. can — a tin
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. drill — a practice
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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