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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 124 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spring — of water
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mug — a face
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. band — a music group
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spring — the season
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. band — a ring
  24. racket — for tennis

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