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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tube — the underground
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. roll — a list
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. roll — a cake
  22. tube — a container
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lie — to recline

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