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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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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: wind · wake · kid · fall · dip · roll · mug · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. kid — to tease
  5. fall — the season
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wake — a trail
  15. season — in sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. roll — a list
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kid — child
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wind — moving air
  24. dip — to dunk

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