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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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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: toast · mate · nail · bay · stem · wound · hand · wave

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. toast — bread
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. hand — help
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wound — an injury
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mate — to breed
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mate — a partner
  24. nail — for a hammer

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