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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. staff — a stick
  3. shower — to wash
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. staff — employees
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. file — a document
  15. staff — employees
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. file — a tool
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. shower — rain
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. tube — a container

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