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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: roll · chest · pitcher · firm · wave · can · toast · wind

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. roll — a list
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. firm — steady
  18. toast — bread
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chest — a box
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. firm — a company

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