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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cue — a hint
  3. craft — boats
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — the season
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bore — to tire
  15. spring — of water
  16. cue — a signal
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. spring — a coil

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