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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — of a word
  8. march — the month
  9. root — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wind — moving air
  13. root — the cause
  14. bear — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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