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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: charge · wound · racket · wave · wind · row · root · hand

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. root — the cause
  3. row — a line
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. charge — in control
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. charge — a price
  11. hand — help
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hand — in cards
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. row — to paddle
  24. charge — electricity

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