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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: bound · last · shower · dip · fall · cell · wake · wave

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. last — finally
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. shower — rain
  6. bound — certain
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bound — obliged
  9. last — to go on
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fall — the season
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wake — a trail
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. shower — to wash
  24. last — final

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