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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: wave · squash · date · cabinet · dip · season · field · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wake — a trail
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — the fruit
  6. field — farmland
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. season — in sport
  14. dip — to sink
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. season — of the year
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. field — for sport
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. field — a subject
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. date — on the calendar

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