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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. last — to go on
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. track — a song
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — magic
  9. tube — a container
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. firm — decided
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. last — finally
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. tube — the underground
  17. track — a path
  18. firm — steady
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bark — to shout
  22. firm — a company
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — final

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