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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 116 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. spring — a coil
  7. plane — a tool
  8. charge — electricity
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. branch — a division
  15. spring — the season
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. charge — a price
  20. chair — a leader
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spring — of water
  23. charge — in control
  24. mouse — for a computer

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