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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — a weight
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spring — of water
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cold — an illness
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cue — a hint
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cue — for pool
  24. branch — a division

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