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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · plane · bound · stock · bore · cold · squash · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bound — certain
  5. stock — goods
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. squash — the sport
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cold — not warm
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stock — shares
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mate — a friend
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — an aircraft

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