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

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. kid — to tease
  5. last — final
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. object — to protest
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. last — finally
  15. object — an aim
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. object — a thing
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pass — a permit
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mine — for digging
  23. kid — child
  24. leaves — lets stay

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