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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: mouse · tear · wake · row · rash · wave · pop · last

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pop — to visit
  4. row — a line
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — to go on
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rash — a series
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. row — to paddle
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mouse — 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