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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: wake · march · cap · cue · safe · bound · fall · wave

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fall — the season
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bound — certain
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — tied together
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. march — music
  24. cap — of ice

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