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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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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: ground · current · foot · wind · cell · fine · pop · wave

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pop — soda
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. foot — a measure
  11. ground — the earth
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fine — all right
  14. current — of water
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. current — happening now
  18. pop — music
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. current — electric
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wind — moving air

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