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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: wake · spell · ruler · dip · wave · club · game · tear

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. game — wild animals
  4. club — a group
  5. spell — letters
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. club — for dancing
  10. game — a match
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. tear — to rip
  14. spell — a short time
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spell — magic
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. club — for golf
  24. ruler — a monarch

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