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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. rock — a stone
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. last — finally
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. last — final
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cold — an illness
  13. last — to go on
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cold — not warm
  16. foot — a measure
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. spring — the season
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rock — music
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. drill — army training

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