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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. hand — help
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pop — soda
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bass — low music
  22. pop — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tear — from crying

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