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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — a coil
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. scale — in music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — of water
  12. mug — a cup
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — the season
  17. mug — a face
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mug — to rob
  24. snap — to click

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