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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. present — the time now
  6. spell — letters
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — the season
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. staff — employees
  15. spell — magic
  16. present — a gift
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. present — there
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wave — of the sea
  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