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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: bear · spring · chest · rush · object · wave · dip · last

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. spring — of water
  2. object — a thing
  3. spring — the season
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. last — final
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spring — a coil
  11. object — an aim
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. last — to go on
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. object — to protest
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. last — finally
  23. chest — a box
  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