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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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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 · date · pit · mark · saw · hide · bound · pop

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bound — tied together
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pit — in a race
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pop — soda
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bound — certain
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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