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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rule — a law
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cue — a signal
  6. rule — government
  7. last — final
  8. spring — the season
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cap — a hat
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. last — to go on
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. last — finally
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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