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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pop — music
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pop — to visit
  13. spring — the season
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — soda
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitch — completely
  18. spring — of water
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. plane — a tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wave — with your hand

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