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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: shower · spring · ruler · fan · trunk · wave · wake · firm

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. shower — rain
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. firm — a company
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. spring — of water
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. firm — steady
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. firm — decided

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