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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. net — in sport
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. lean — thin
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pop — music
  21. net — for catching
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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