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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. field — farmland
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bass — low music
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. spell — magic
  7. bank — of a river
  8. spell — letters
  9. stand — to bear
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — for sport
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bank — for money
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bank — for money
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. field — a subject
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. kid — child
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wake — before a funeral

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