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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fall — the season
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. staff — employees
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. staff — a stick
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. object — to protest
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. cold — not warm
  24. staff — employees

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