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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. mark — a trace
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. field — for sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — farmland
  12. race — a contest
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. spring — of water
  16. mark — a grade
  17. field — a subject
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. race — humankind
  23. mouse — the animal
  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