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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spring — the season
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — of water
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bound — certain
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pound — to hit hard

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