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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: wave · pound · mine · squash · wound · temple · pitch · ball

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mine — for digging
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pitch — completely
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. temple — a place of worship

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