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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · wind · squash · roll · kid · charge · rush · wake

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wind — moving air
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wind — moving air
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. track — a path
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. kid — to tease
  22. squash — to crush
  23. charge — in control
  24. wake — a trail

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