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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. root — of a word
  14. club — for dancing
  15. face — to point toward
  16. root — the cause
  17. stock — shares
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — of the year
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. face — part of the head

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