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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. last — to go on
  14. court — of a king
  15. last — finally
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — to trim
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. last — final

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