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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 · wave · wind · rush · pop · cap · rash · stand

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pop — music
  3. rash — a series
  4. pop — soda
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cap — a hat
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rash — on the skin

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