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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 120 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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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: rule · tear · foot · sharp · present · wave · spring · snap

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. spring — of water
  4. rule — a law
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — the season
  7. sharp — clever
  8. present — there
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rule — government
  11. spring — a coil
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. present — the time now
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. tear — to rip
  17. present — a gift
  18. foot — a measure
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. snap — to click
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wave — of the sea

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