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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spring — the season
  7. cap — a lid
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — a stone
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cap — a hat
  17. spring — a coil
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rock — music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rock — to move gently

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