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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — to paddle
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. drill — a practice
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wind — moving air
  11. content — the amount
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pop — to visit
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pop — soda
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — happy
  24. row — a line

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