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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: rash · staff · tube · wave · date · kick · wind · field

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — a series
  7. date — the fruit
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. field — farmland
  10. staff — employees
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kick — in football
  15. staff — a stick
  16. field — a subject
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — for sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. staff — employees
  22. tube — a container
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rash — hasty

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