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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rash — a series
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. board — to get on
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. wound — an injury

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