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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hand — help
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. dip — to sink
  16. plane — a tool
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. net — after costs
  24. spring — the season

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