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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: ball · saw · roll · mouse · straw · kick · club · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. roll — a cake
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. roll — a list
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ball — a dance
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. straw — a straw man

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