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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. degree — an amount
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pop — music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pop — soda
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. roll — a list
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pop — to visit
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — before a funeral

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