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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 · trunk · cold · wave · rule · rest · club · mug

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rule — a law
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cold — an illness
  8. club — for golf
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mug — a face
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rule — government

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