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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: wind · stick · bass · bat · wave · face · pitcher · leaves

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bass — the fish
  14. face — to confront
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bass — low music

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