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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. craft — boats
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wake — a trail
  13. season — of the year
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. perch — the fish
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. object — to protest
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — in sport

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