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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mug — a face
  3. firm — decided
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. row — a line
  8. degree — from a university
  9. spring — a coil
  10. firm — a company
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tube — the underground
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tube — a container
  18. mug — to rob
  19. row — to paddle
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. firm — steady
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wake — a trail

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