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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. hand — help
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. deal — to handle
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. current — happening now
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. spring — of water
  19. current — of water
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tube — a container
  22. current — electric
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ball — a great time

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