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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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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: clip · wave · pound · bay · mine · rule · wind · safe

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pound — a weight
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. clip — a video
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rule — government
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rule — a law

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