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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. snap — to click
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. perch — the fish
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. capital — money
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wound — an injury
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. capital — a city
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — for digging

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