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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stock — shares
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bound — certain
  16. spring — of water
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spring — the season
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fall — the season
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stock — goods
  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