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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mug — a cup
  4. face — to confront
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — ground
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spring — of water
  9. land — a country
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. land — to come down
  13. fall — the season
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. face — part of the head
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. face — to point toward
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. mug — a face

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