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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spell — magic
  5. drill — army training
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. content — the amount
  15. spell — letters
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. content — happy
  22. drill — the tool
  23. tube — a container
  24. rush — to hurry

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