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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · wake · bear · chest · rash · plane · spring · bulb

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spring — of water
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chest — a box
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spring — the season
  17. rash — a series
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. plane — in geometry

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