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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: mouse · cold · spell · rush · saw · straw · wave · bass

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spell — letters
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spell — magic
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spell — a short time

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