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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: drill · date · bay · deal · nail · wave · wake · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. drill — army training
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. deal — to handle
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. swing — music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. date — the fruit
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. drill — the tool

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