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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. game — a match
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — wild animals
  10. spring — a coil
  11. prune — to trim
  12. club — a group
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. net — in sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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