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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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Word bank
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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 · ball · wake · tube · safe · root · face · club

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — a group
  5. face — to confront
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — the cause
  8. club — for golf
  9. ball — a dance
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. tube — the underground
  20. root — of a word
  21. face — part of the head
  22. root — of a plant
  23. tube — a container
  24. club — for dancing

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