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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pop — music
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rash — a series
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — the season
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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