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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: cap · wake · swing · clip · scale · wound · stem · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. clip — a video
  17. scale — size or range
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cap — of ice
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cap — a hat
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wake — a trail

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