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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: wave · firm · face · squash · pitcher · clip · pound · dip

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. face — to confront
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pound — a weight
  7. face — to point toward
  8. squash — the sport
  9. clip — a video
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. face — part of the head
  20. dip — to sink
  21. squash — to crush
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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