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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 · wake · vault · net · mark · row · rush · deal

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mark — a grade
  8. row — a line
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. net — in sport
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. row — to paddle
  14. net — for catching
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. net — after costs
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. row — a quarrel

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