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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 120 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: ball · fall · wave · mine · shower · bay · staff · wake

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wake — a trail
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — rain
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fall — the season
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — an explosive

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