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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 120 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: wave · kid · season · pop · wound · key · cabinet · stick

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. season — of the year
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. season — in sport
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — soda
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pop — music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. key — for a lock
  22. kid — child
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — ministers

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