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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: bat · bay · mouse · squash · board · wave · wound · present

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the sport
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. board — a committee
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. squash — to crush
  17. present — a gift
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — to get on
  24. bat — the animal

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