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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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Word bank
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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: wind · toast · tube · last · clip · wound · wave · mark

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. last — finally
  3. clip — a video
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wound — an injury
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mark — a trace
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. last — to go on
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. last — final
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. tube — the underground

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