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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 116 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: mate · kid · nail · rash · wave · club · bay · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kid — child
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. club — for golf
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — a group
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rash — a series
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mate — to breed
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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