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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: wave · wound · staff · cabinet · shower · squash · roll · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wound — an injury
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. staff — employees
  10. roll — a list
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — to breed
  18. roll — a cake
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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