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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: shower · trunk · mate · bay · wave · kid · key · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. key — the most important part
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. kid — child
  10. key — for a lock
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mate — a partner
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. key — in music
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. season — of the year
  23. shower — rain
  24. kid — to tease

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