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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. ground — a position
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — for digging
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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