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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spring — of water
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. spring — the season
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. land — a country
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stock — goods
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. branch — a division
  20. plane — a tool
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stock — shares

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