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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: cap · wave · hide · spring · club · mine · bat · racket

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cap — of ice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. club — for golf
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mine — for digging
  14. club — a group
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spring — of water
  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