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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. squash — the sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. band — a music group
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. squash — to crush
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wound — an injury
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. branch — a division
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a ring
  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