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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bound — certain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — a line
  11. object — an aim
  12. ground — a position
  13. object — to protest
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bound — obliged
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ground — crushed
  23. object — a thing
  24. ground — the earth

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