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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: wind · leaves · spring · rash · bat · wave · bay · club

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rash — a series
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. club — a group
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — for golf
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. club — for dancing

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