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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: game · hand · can · wound · object · temple · wave · roll

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hand — help
  12. object — to protest
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. roll — a list
  18. object — a thing
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. game — a match
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. can — a tin
  23. object — an aim
  24. hand — in cards

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