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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. tube — the underground
  3. snap — to click
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spring — the season
  7. present — there
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. spring — of water
  12. tube — a container
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. present — the time now
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wave — with your hand

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