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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: wave · mark · pop · wind · bound · calf · cell · straw

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pop — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — certain
  9. mark — a trace
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pop — soda
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bound — obliged

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