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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: pound · cue · wound · wave · stand · tear · race · bass

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. race — humankind
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. race — a contest
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — to bear
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. race — the arms race
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — low music
  24. pound — a weight

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