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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · face · wind · row · pitcher · hand · mouse · roll

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. hand — help
  12. roll — a list
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. face — to confront
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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