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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 · wound · date · row · clip · toast · firm · court

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. firm — a company
  3. date — the fruit
  4. clip — a video
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wound — an injury
  7. firm — steady
  8. row — to paddle
  9. toast — bread
  10. wound — an injury
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. row — a line
  18. clip — to cut
  19. firm — decided
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. court — of a king

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