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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rash — a series
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chip — to eat
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bear — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bear — the animal

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