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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 · rush · row · can · wave · hand · coach · dip

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — in cards
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — hurry
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. hand — help
  18. wind — moving air
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. row — a line
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. row — to paddle

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