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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: wound · band · lie · wave · cue · pop · tube · ball

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cue — a hint
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cue — a signal
  10. band — a ring
  11. pop — soda
  12. band — a music group
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pop — music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. tube — a container

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