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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cold — an illness
  3. craft — a skill
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rest — a break
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. prune — to trim
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pop — to visit
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pit — a hole
  18. craft — boats
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pop — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pop — soda
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rest — what's left

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