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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. object — a thing
  7. bank — for money
  8. object — to protest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pass — a permit
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. key — in music
  24. object — an aim

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