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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. spring — of water
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — in cards
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spring — the season
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. branch — a division
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. game — wild animals
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hand — help

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