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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — the amount
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. capital — money
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. perch — the fish
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. content — happy

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