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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. tube — a container
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. clip — a video
  8. pop — music
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. season — of the year
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. clip — for paper
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mate — to breed
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mate — a partner
  23. tube — the underground
  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