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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · rest · fall · track · drill · land · ground · ball

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. drill — army training
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fall — to drop
  5. drill — the tool
  6. track — a path
  7. fall — the season
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ground — a position
  12. land — a country
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rest — a break
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fall — to drop
  18. land — to come down
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. land — ground
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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