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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · wind · wave · bat · swing · press

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — the animal
  11. swing — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. press — to push
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wind — moving air
  18. swing — to play on

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