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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · bear · staff · squash · charge · degree · wave · wind

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. charge — a price
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. staff — employees
  14. rash — hasty
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bear — the animal
  17. staff — a stick
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bear — the animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — a series
  24. charge — in control

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