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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. spring — of water
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cap — a hat
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. land — to come down
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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