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

Word bank: wake · ruler · cell · wave · mug · wound · kid · court

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mug — a cup
  5. kid — to tease
  6. court — of a king
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mug — a face
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cell — a phone
  17. kid — child
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mug — to rob

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