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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: wave · wind · stick · nail · spell · dip · spring · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — the season
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. spell — letters
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spell — magic
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spring — of water
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wind — moving air
  24. dip — a sauce

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