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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fall — the season
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. spring — the season
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. field — farmland
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — rain
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. field — a subject
  20. shower — to wash
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. field — for sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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