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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: chair · wind · mine · race · pop · craft · wave · ground

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. race — the arms race
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. race — humankind
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. race — a contest
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. craft — boats
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pop — to visit
  24. chair — a leader

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