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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bass — low music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rock — music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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