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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. last — final
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. last — to go on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. last — finally
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — in a race
  16. stem — to come from
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. hide — to keep secret

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