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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 116 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: present · wave · wind · rush · clip · drill · fall · court

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wind — moving air
  3. court — of a king
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. present — the time now
  9. wind — moving air
  10. drill — the tool
  11. clip — a video
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. present — there
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. court — of law
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — for sport
  23. clip — to cut
  24. present — a gift

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