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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. spring — a coil
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mug — to rob
  6. band — a ring
  7. spring — the season
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. present — a gift
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spring — of water
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. hand — help
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. band — a music group
  20. present — there
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. mug — a face
  24. present — the time now

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