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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. current — of water
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. current — electric
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. file — a document
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. file — a tool
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. file — a line of people
  24. current — happening now

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