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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: bound · content · squash · cold · present · deal · wave · rest

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rest — a break
  3. deal — to handle
  4. present — the time now
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rest — what's left
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. present — a gift
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. content — the amount
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bound — certain
  16. content — happy
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. present — there
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bound — tied together
  23. squash — the sport
  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