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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. perch — the fish
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. capital — money
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. root — of a word
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. capital — a city
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wave — of the sea

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