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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. branch — a division
  14. wake — a trail
  15. current — electric
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rash — a series
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — a position
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. current — of water
  24. chip — to eat

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