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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 120 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: squash · chest · wave · mark · tear · bound · mate · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mate — a friend
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rock — music
  24. mark — to pay attention

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