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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. drill — army training
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. degree — an amount
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rash — hasty
  13. drill — a practice
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. file — a document
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rash — a series
  23. file — a tool
  24. trunk — of a car

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