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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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468
Word bank
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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wound — an injury
  12. snap — to click
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mark — a grade
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. band — a ring

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