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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: nail · wave · straw · saw · cabinet · bat · land · wake

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. land — ground
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. land — a country
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. land — to come down
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bat — in an idiom

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