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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. staff — employees
  15. bark — to shout
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. land — to come down
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. land — a country
  24. rock — music

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