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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rock — music
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. content — the amount
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rock — a stone
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. spring — the season
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spring — of water
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. content — happy
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. kid — child
  22. spring — a coil
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rush — to hurry

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