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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. firm — a company
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. firm — decided
  19. fine — all right
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. firm — steady
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bark — of a tree

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