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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 116 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. lean — thin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a dance
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spring — of water
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cap — of ice
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stand — to bear
  23. cap — a hat
  24. spring — the season

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