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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 124 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. drill — a practice
  3. field — for sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. drill — the tool
  15. land — ground
  16. drill — army training
  17. bear — the animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — a country
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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