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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — of water
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spring — the season
  8. spell — magic
  9. branch — a division
  10. deal — to handle
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. club — for golf
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. spell — letters
  18. snap — to click
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. club — a group
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spell — a short time
  24. club — for dancing

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