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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 · clip · mine · mate · cabinet · fine · squash · spring

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mine — for digging
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fine — all right
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. clip — a video
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spring — of water
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — to cut

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