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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 116 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: present · rock · fine · spring · wave · squash · scale · shower

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fine — high quality
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fine — all right
  7. present — the time now
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rock — a stone
  10. scale — size or range
  11. present — there
  12. spring — of water
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. present — a gift
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. shower — rain
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rock — music
  19. spring — the season
  20. scale — in music
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spring — a coil

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