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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spring — the season
  8. current — electric
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. snap — to click
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. current — of water
  15. tube — a container
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — a coil
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — of water

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