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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: date · staff · wave · leaves · bat · pass · track · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pass — a permit
  16. staff — a stick
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. date — the fruit
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pass — to spend time

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