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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. shower — rain
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. season — of the year
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. band — a music group
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. object — a thing
  20. band — a ring
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. band — a rubber band

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