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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: row · mug · dip · wind · stock · kid · hand · rush

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. dip — to sink
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mug — a face
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kid — child
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stock — goods
  13. row — a line
  14. hand — help
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kid — to tease
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mug — to rob
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stock — shares
  24. row — to paddle

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