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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hand — in cards
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cap — a hat
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. can — a tin
  16. cap — of ice
  17. hand — help
  18. fall — the season
  19. club — a group
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. can — a tin
  22. fork — in a road
  23. club — for golf
  24. can — to be able to

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