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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: spring · wave · arm · key · wind · date · file · staff

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. key — in music
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spring — a coil
  7. date — the fruit
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. staff — a stick
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. file — a line of people
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. staff — employees
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wave — with your hand

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