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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. row — a line
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bank — for money
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bank — for money
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. ball — a great time
  18. spring — the season
  19. field — farmland
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spring — of water

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