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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 · season · wave · bowl · object · club · drill · chest

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. club — for golf
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. drill — army training
  7. chest — of your body
  8. club — a group
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. chest — of your body
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. drill — a practice
  18. season — in sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. object — to protest
  23. chest — a box
  24. bowl — a football final

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