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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: lean · swing · stock · bay · track · cap · wave · date

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. swing — to play on
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cap — a hat
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. date — the fruit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stock — shares
  14. lean — thin
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cap — of ice
  19. swing — music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. cap — a lid
  24. date — on the calendar

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