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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 116 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: mouse · wound · saw · lean · racket · row · wave · rest

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. lean — to bend
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — a line
  12. wound — an injury
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — a break
  20. lean — thin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rest — what's left

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