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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.

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: object · mark · swing · tube · bore · game · wind · mine

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. object — a thing
  8. swing — to play on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. object — to protest
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bore — to drill
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. object — an aim
  19. tube — a container
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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