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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 116 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: wave · squash · safe · wake · bound · mug · rash · cabinet

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bound — certain
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bound — obliged
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wave — with your hand

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