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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: roll · mine · clip · rush · wave · suit · pop · wound

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  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. pop — soda
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. roll — a list
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. suit — clothes
  15. roll — a cake
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pop — music
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. suit — in cards
  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