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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 · wave · rash · date · can · arm · spring · stick

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. spring — of water
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rash — a series
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rash — hasty
  19. can — a tin
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. can — a tin

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