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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: nail · mate · row · wave · racket · wound · stick · staff

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wound — an injury
  6. row — to paddle
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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