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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. object — a thing
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fine — all right
  7. rock — music
  8. spring — of water
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spring — a coil
  18. object — an aim
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. object — to protest
  21. fall — the season
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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