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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: wave · fan · wake · content · racket · saw · wind · kick

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kick — in football
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wind — moving air
  19. content — happy
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wake — a trail
  24. racket — for tennis

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