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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wind — moving air
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. snap — to click
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. scale — in music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. squash — to crush
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. scale — size or range
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. squash — the sport
  24. kid — child

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