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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 116 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — of water
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. race — a contest
  6. swing — music
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. swing — in golf
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. spell — magic
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — letters
  19. clip — a video
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. clip — for paper
  23. spring — the season
  24. swing — to play on

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