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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wind — moving air
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rock — music
  8. snap — to click
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. row — a line
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rock — a stone
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — moving air

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