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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: wave · wind · track · charge · straw · stem · key · degree

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — to come from
  3. charge — electricity
  4. key — in music
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. track — to keep track
  8. charge — a price
  9. track — a song
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. degree — an amount
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. track — a path
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. charge — in control
  22. degree — temperature
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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