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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pop — music
  5. march — the month
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spell — a short time
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fall — the season
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. march — the month
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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