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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. lean — thin
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stock — goods
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. clip — a video
  8. shower — rain
  9. stock — shares
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. game — a match
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lean — to bend
  23. game — a kind of play
  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