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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 120 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: object · wind · mug · kid · fork · spring · band · wave

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — of water
  3. mug — a face
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. band — a ring
  9. mug — to rob
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. object — to protest
  12. kid — child
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wind — moving air
  17. band — a music group
  18. kid — to tease
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. spring — the season
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wind — to turn a key

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