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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: bay · pop · rash · hand · wind · staff · fan · leaves

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — help
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pop — soda
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pop — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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