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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: chair · straw · board · wave · club · rash · bulb · date

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rash — a series
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. club — for golf
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chair — a leader
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. club — a group
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chair — a professorship

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