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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 116 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: field · bat · spell · bay · wake · wave · wind · suit

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. spell — magic
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — letters
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. field — for sport
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. field — farmland
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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