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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — a container
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. spring — of water
  15. board — to get on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. board — a committee
  19. rush — hurry
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — the season
  22. game — a match
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wave — with your hand

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