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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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 speak sharply
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a line of people
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cell — in biology
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bound — certain
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. snap — to click
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — tied together
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — obliged
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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