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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. face — to point toward
  4. branch — a division
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — to wash
  8. game — a match
  9. spell — magic
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. drill — the tool
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. spell — a short time
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. face — to confront
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — letters

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