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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. spring — the season
  6. current — of water
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. current — electric
  11. deal — to handle
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. current — happening now
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spring — of water
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tube — a container
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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