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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: toast · drill · tear · wake · ball · wind · saw · current

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. drill — a practice
  4. current — of water
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — happening now
  8. tear — to rip
  9. toast — bread
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. drill — army training
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. saw — the tool
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wind — moving air
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. current — electric
  23. ball — a great time
  24. drill — the tool

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