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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: date · coach · stem · wave · fork · hide · wind · pound

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pound — a weight
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fork — in a road
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — of a plant

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