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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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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 · patient · tube · hand · wave · saw · last · straw

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. hand — help
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. last — final
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tube — a container
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. last — finally
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. last — to go on
  24. wave — of the sea

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