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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: bay · mine · wave · wind · staff · board · stem · racket

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — employees
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — to get on
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. board — a committee
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mine — for digging
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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