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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · bore · nail · bass · hide · wound · mug

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — a face
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cold — an illness
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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