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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — magic
  4. land — a country
  5. pop — music
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. tube — a container
  12. pop — to visit
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. land — to come down
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. land — ground
  22. pop — soda
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spell — a short time

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