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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fall — to drop
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. capital — a city
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wind — moving air
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. capital — money
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fall — the season
  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