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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: wind · row · wake · rash · ground · fork · stick · dip

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fork — in a road
  4. row — a line
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rash — a series
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ground — a position
  23. dip — to dunk
  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