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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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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. shower — rain
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. clip — a video
  11. shower — to wash
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stand — to bear
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spring — the season
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wave — of the sea

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