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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. can — to be able to
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. can — a tin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spring — a coil
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — to recline
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — a face
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mug — to rob
  21. spring — the season
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spring — of water

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