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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: deal · wake · track · swing · shower · patient · wind · ground

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. track — a path
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wind — moving air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ground — crushed
  15. swing — music
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — a trail

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