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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — farmland
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — a trail
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. march — the month
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. field — for sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rush — hurry
  24. saw — the tool

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