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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: season · mine · wind · band · wake · mate · chip · bay

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. season — of the year
  10. mate — a partner
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. band — a ring
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wind — moving air
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. season — in sport
  24. mine — belonging to me

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