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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wind — moving air
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. charge — a price
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. staff — employees
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cold — an illness
  14. staff — a stick
  15. stem — to come from
  16. staff — employees
  17. charge — in control
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cold — not warm
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cold — the Cold War

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