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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: chip · fan · rash · straw · wind · degree · rock · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — an amount
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rock — music
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rash — a series
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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