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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
468
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 · straw · fan · mug · spring · dip · wave · stick

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mug — a face
  11. present — a gift
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. present — the time now
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mug — to rob
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. spring — the season
  23. present — there
  24. mug — a cup

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