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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. firm — steady
  5. spring — the season
  6. firm — a company
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spring — a coil
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. club — for golf
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cap — a hat
  15. track — a song
  16. bulb — for light
  17. firm — decided
  18. spring — of water
  19. cap — a lid
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. track — a path

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