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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. drill — a practice
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. drill — army training
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wind — to turn a key

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