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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. field — a subject
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stand — to bear
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. rash — a series
  12. fine — all right
  13. field — for sport
  14. spring — a coil
  15. field — farmland
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spring — the season
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. spring — of water

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