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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bear — the animal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fall — the season
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rock — music
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rock — a stone

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