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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: date · last · lash · wind · spring · safe · file · wave

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a document
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. last — to go on
  7. spring — a coil
  8. last — final
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. file — a tool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. last — finally
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. date — the fruit
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. spring — of water
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. file — a line of people

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