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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: rock · fall · rush · content · game · band · spring · wave

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. game — a match
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rush — hurry
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fall — the season
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spring — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — happy
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spring — a coil
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — music
  24. band — a ring

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