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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. spring — of water
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rash — hasty
  7. degree — temperature
  8. spring — the season
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. degree — an amount
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. degree — from a university
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — a series
  22. tube — a container
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. prune — to trim

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