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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. ball — a dance
  7. hand — help
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. staff — employees
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rock — a stone
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rock — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lean — thin
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hand — part of the body

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