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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. craft — boats
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rush — hurry
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. spring — the season
  12. squash — the sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rush — a thrill

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