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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: swing · rest · cold · cap · wave · cabinet · pound · mouse

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — a hat
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rest — what's left
  19. swing — music
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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