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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · mate · saw · mine · wound · fall · game · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. game — a match
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fall — the season
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mate — a friend
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wound — an injury
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mate — a partner
  19. squash — to crush
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. saw — the tool
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mate — to breed

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