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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. band — a music group
  8. wound — an injury
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mate — a friend
  13. last — final
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. tube — a container
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — finally
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. leaves — to go away

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