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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. last — to go on
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. can — a tin
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fall — the season
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. staff — employees
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. last — finally
  21. staff — employees
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fall — to drop
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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