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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · wave · last · spring · rash · mouse · straw · wake

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. last — final
  6. spring — a coil
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. content — the amount
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. last — finally
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rash — a series
  17. wake — a trail
  18. content — happy
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. spring — of water
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. last — to go on
  24. rash — hasty

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