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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. present — a gift
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stock — shares
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stock — goods
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. present — there
  22. club — for golf
  23. present — the time now
  24. root — of a word

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