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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: club · wave · wind · fork · mate · face · bear · date

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mate — a friend
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. club — a group
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bear — the animal
  12. club — for golf
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bear — the animal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mate — to breed
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bear — to put up with

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