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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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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: bay · date · wound · wave · race · leaves · hand · fork

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. wound — an injury
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fork — in a road
  16. race — a contest
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. hand — help
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wound — an injury

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