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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: march · can · bat · wave · pound · hand · wake · lie

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. march — the month
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hand — help
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wake — a trail
  11. march — music
  12. lie — to recline
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. can — a tin
  16. pound — a weight
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — in cards
  19. march — the month
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lie — an untruth
  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