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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: cell · wake · swing · face · bass · squash · bore · wave

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bore — to drill
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bore — to tire
  17. swing — music
  18. face — to confront
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cell — a phone
  24. face — part of the head

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