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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · fan · wave · land · spring · game · bass · roll

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. game — wild animals
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bass — low music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — of water
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bass — the fish
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. land — a country
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. land — to come down
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spring — the season

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