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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.

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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: wave · nail · mug · tear · rash · spring · stem · fall

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. spring — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mug — a face
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mug — a cup
  8. spring — of water
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mug — to rob
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fall — the season
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. tear — from crying

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