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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: wake · roll · mug · cabinet · lie · wave · content · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wake — a trail
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mug — a face
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. content — the amount
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — to rob
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. content — happy
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. roll — a list
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. content — videos and posts

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