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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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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: date · bay · club · wave · object · ground · pound · land

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. club — for golf
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. land — ground
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. club — a group
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. ground — crushed
  12. land — a country
  13. object — a thing
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. land — to come down
  16. ground — the earth
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. object — an aim
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. object — to protest
  23. pound — a weight
  24. club — for dancing

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