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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: wave · stock · bat · root · saw · wind · fan · wake

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — shares
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. root — of a word
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. root — the cause
  24. wind — to turn a key

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