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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spring — of water
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cold — an illness
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stem — to come from
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cold — the Cold War

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