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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. drill — army training
  4. spring — a coil
  5. net — after costs
  6. firm — decided
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. firm — a company
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spring — the season
  11. net — for catching
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. firm — steady
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cap — a hat
  19. net — in sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. spring — of water
  24. cap — a lid

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