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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 120 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 · bear · wake · spring · board · shower · mine · ball

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spring — of water
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. spring — the season
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. board — to get on
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. board — a committee
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. ball — a great time
  24. shower — rain

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