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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 120 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. firm — steady
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chest — of your body
  9. firm — decided
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. cap — of ice
  14. firm — a company
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. chest — a box
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wound — an injury

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