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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 116 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rest — a break
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. club — for golf
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. scale — in music
  17. content — happy
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. club — for dancing
  21. content — the amount
  22. spring — the season
  23. club — a group
  24. rest — what's left

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