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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. spring — of water
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. spring — a coil
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kid — child
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. kid — to tease
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bound — certain
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wake — a trail
  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