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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. tube — a container
  3. content — the amount
  4. tube — the underground
  5. spring — the season
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spring — of water
  9. capital — a city
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. dip — to sink
  13. squash — to crush
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. content — happy
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. squash — the sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spring — a coil

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