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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 120 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: squash · wave · fall · swing · face · band · wound · cap

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wound — an injury
  6. swing — in golf
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. face — to confront
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fall — the season
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cap — of ice
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cap — a hat
  23. swing — music
  24. fall — to drop

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