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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: pit · spring · wave · land · object · firm · clip · game

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. spring — a coil
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. land — to come down
  7. clip — a video
  8. pit — in a race
  9. spring — the season
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — decided
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. clip — to cut
  16. firm — a company
  17. game — a match
  18. object — an aim
  19. pit — a hole
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. spring — of water

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