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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · firm · bear · trunk · saw · wave · shower · kick

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bear — the animal
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. kick — in football
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. saw — the tool
  11. shower — to wash
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. shower — rain
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — the earth
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. ground — a position
  19. firm — a company
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. kick — with a leg

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