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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mark — a trace
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spring — of water
  11. drill — army training
  12. spring — the season
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. drill — a practice
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spring — a coil
  18. club — for golf
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. drill — the tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. club — a group

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