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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: court · shower · wound · wave · cap · mate · spring · mouse

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. shower — rain
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. court — for sport
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. spring — the season
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a hat
  16. spring — of water
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cap — of ice
  21. court — of law
  22. mate — a friend
  23. court — of a king
  24. mouse — the animal

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