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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. spring — of water
  4. spell — magic
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. spring — the season
  7. bear — the animal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. degree — from a university
  15. spring — a coil
  16. swing — music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fine — all right
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. spell — letters
  23. fine — high quality
  24. degree — temperature

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