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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: jam · wave · clip · squash · deal · rest · foot · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rest — a break
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. foot — a measure
  9. clip — a video
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wind — moving air
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. clip — for paper
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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