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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wound — an injury
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. squash — to crush
  11. degree — temperature
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. degree — from a university
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bear — the animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. coach — a trainer

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