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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — the season
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. spring — a coil
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — of water
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cap — a hat

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