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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: club · rush · mouse · ground · wind · ball · patient · jam

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. ground — crushed
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. club — for golf
  14. ground — a position
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mouse — for a computer

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