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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. suit — in cards
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — farmland
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. current — of water
  7. wind — moving air
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. staff — employees
  10. swing — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. current — happening now
  13. field — a subject
  14. swing — in golf
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. current — electric
  17. swing — to play on
  18. suit — clothes
  19. field — for sport
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. suit — to fit
  24. wind — moving air

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