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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: wake · wind · club · branch · bay · bark · kid · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. kid — to tease
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. club — for golf
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. club — a group
  21. kid — child
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wake — a trail

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