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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. wind — moving air
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. last — finally
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — a group
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. last — to go on
  10. scale — in music
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. scale — size or range
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. club — for golf
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. last — final
  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