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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: wind · object · rest · tear · wave · face · rash · mine

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. tear — to rip
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — hasty
  12. face — to point toward
  13. object — a thing
  14. rash — a series
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — to protest
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. object — an aim
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. tear — from crying
  22. face — to confront
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — for digging

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