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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — the arms race
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bear — the animal
  7. capital — money
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. race — a contest
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. spring — a coil
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. capital — a city
  17. spring — of water
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bear — the animal
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. spring — the season
  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