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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: cabinet · fine · cell · cold · pitcher · wave · nail · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fine — all right
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. firm — steady
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cell — in biology
  18. firm — a company
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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