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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. spring — of water
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — the season
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. field — for sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rock — music
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. field — a subject
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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