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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: cabinet · branch · cue · court · wave · fall · bass · wound

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. court — of a king
  3. cue — a hint
  4. court — for sport
  5. bass — low music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. court — of law
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — ministers

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