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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. root — the cause
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. present — there
  8. mate — a friend
  9. present — the time now
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mate — to breed
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spring — of water
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — of a word
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. spring — the season
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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