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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. row — a line
  11. wind — moving air
  12. object — a thing
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. row — to paddle
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. roll — a list
  18. shower — to wash
  19. object — to protest
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. roll — a cake
  22. object — an aim
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stem — a stem cell

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