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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: kid · wave · track · face · wind · fine · deal · stem

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. track — a path
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. face — to point toward
  11. track — a song
  12. face — part of the head
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wind — moving air
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. kid — to tease
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fine — high quality
  20. kid — child
  21. track — to keep track
  22. face — to confront
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wave — with your hand

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