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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. ball — a great time
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. scale — in music
  9. present — there
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. tube — a container
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kid — child
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ball — a dance
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. scale — size or range

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