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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — to point toward
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. track — a path
  7. rock — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. track — to keep track
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wake — a trail
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. track — a song
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. face — to confront

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