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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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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: wave · hide · chip · wind · track · bowl · cold · bark

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a song
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. track — a path
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wave — with your hand

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