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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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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 · hand · mark · racket · lean · band · pass · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lean — thin
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. band — a ring
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. band — a music group
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. hand — help
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hand — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pass — to spend time

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