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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bound — tied together
  4. spring — the season
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bass — low music
  7. race — humankind
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. snap — to click
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. race — the arms race
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. spring — of water
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. race — a contest
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bass — the instrument

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