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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — steady
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. firm — a company
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. shower — to wash
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cold — not warm
  20. firm — decided
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cold — an illness
  23. shower — rain
  24. bulb — of a plant

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