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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
468
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: wake · wave · calf · mine · squash · scale · pound · game

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. scale — in music
  20. game — a match
  21. scale — size or range
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pound — a weight

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