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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bass — low music
  3. lean — to bend
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. current — happening now
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — electric
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — thin
  19. chest — a box
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. current — of water
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lean — to rest against

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