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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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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: leaves · game · bass · face · squash · wound · land · wake

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — a match
  3. wake — a trail
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bass — low music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. face — to confront
  12. land — a country
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. face — to point toward
  15. land — to come down
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. land — ground
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bass — the fish

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