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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: chair · wave · wound · cabinet · wind · rock · jam · wake

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rock — music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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