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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: fall · rash · bay · date · coach · wave · land · kick

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. kick — in football
  4. land — a country
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rash — hasty
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — ground
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fall — to drop
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rash — a series
  24. fall — the season

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