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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stand — to bear
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. face — to confront
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cold — an illness
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pass — a permit
  18. band — a ring
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cold — not warm

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