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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spring — of water
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. chest — a box
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. kid — child
  19. chest — of your body
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bear — the animal

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