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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: saw · wound · scale · game · roll · present · club · wave

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — a group
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. game — a match
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. game — wild animals
  20. scale — size or range
  21. roll — a list
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. present — a gift
  24. saw — the tool

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