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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. spring — a coil
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. kid — child
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. spell — magic
  8. face — to point toward
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rash — a series
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spring — the season
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spell — letters
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rash — hasty
  24. spring — of water

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