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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: bay · dip · net · kick · wave · wound · stem · rash

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rash — a series
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. net — in sport
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. net — for catching
  16. dip — to sink
  17. kick — in football
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. net — after costs
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wound — an injury

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