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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 · roll · tube · wound · ground · bowl · swing · stick

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — a list
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ground — a position
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tube — a container
  24. swing — music

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