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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: mine · cabinet · firm · wound · wave · cap · deal · spell

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. spell — letters
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. firm — steady
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spell — magic
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spell — a short time
  24. firm — decided

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