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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 120 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: rush · rash · mine · wound · ground · cap · wave · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — a series
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ground — a position
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ground — the earth
  20. firm — steady
  21. wound — an injury
  22. firm — a company
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mine — an explosive

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