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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: wake · degree · bowl · band · chip · wave · wind · rash

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. degree — an amount
  7. band — a ring
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rash — a series
  18. chip — to eat
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rash — hasty
  23. band — a music group
  24. degree — from a university

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