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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: pass · staff · saw · game · wave · rest · wound · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rest — a break
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. game — a match
  14. rest — what's left
  15. staff — employees
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. game — wild animals
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pass — a permit
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. row — to paddle
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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