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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spring — the season
  6. tear — to rip
  7. track — to keep track
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. track — a song
  13. file — a tool
  14. track — a path
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. capital — money
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. file — a document
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spring — of water
  24. tear — from crying

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