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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: cold · racket · hand · fall · wave · march · rest · rush

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rush — hurry
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rest — a break
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wave — of the sea

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