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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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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: game · wound · wave · bay · bat · nail · wake · season

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wake — a trail
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — a match
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — of the year
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. season — in sport
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wound — an injury

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