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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cold — not warm
  6. land — a country
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. land — to come down
  14. bass — low music
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — ground
  21. rash — a series
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bulb — for light

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