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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. band — a music group
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. clip — a video
  13. band — a ring
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. snap — to click
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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