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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. row — a line
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. tube — a container
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lean — thin
  16. stock — goods
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stock — shares
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. row — a quarrel

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