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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — of water
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. hand — help
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rest — a break
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rest — what's left
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wound — an injury

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