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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: club · wave · wind · fork · mate · face

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. face — to confront
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mate — a partner

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