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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spring · wave · perch · wind · nail · straw · rush · game

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. perch — the fish
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spring — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wind — moving air
  18. game — a match
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — the season

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