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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: bank · sharp · wake · bound · wave · pop · squash · mate

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bound — certain
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pop — soda
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bank — of a river
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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