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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.

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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wound — an injury
  3. clip — for paper
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. clip — a video
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wind — moving air
  9. staff — employees
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. squash — to crush
  12. staff — employees
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rock — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hide — animal skin

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