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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 124 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wound — an injury
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spring — of water
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. spring — a coil
  10. tube — the underground
  11. date — the fruit
  12. season — of the year
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. tube — a container
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. kick — in football
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. season — in sport
  20. spring — the season
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tube — in a tire

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