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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.

Make a worksheet

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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rock — music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. drill — army training
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bear — the animal

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