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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wake — a trail
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. root — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. hand — help
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — in cards
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. root — the cause
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. root — of a word
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. jam — in traffic

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