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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · pound · saw · rush · key · ground · wind · rash

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ground — the earth
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ground — a position
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rash — a series
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. fall — the season
  24. key — the most important part

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