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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wind — moving air
  6. object — an aim
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. branch — a division
  15. object — to protest
  16. vault — a safe
  17. object — a thing
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cold — an illness
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cold — not warm
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cold — the Cold War

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