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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fall — the season
  3. snap — to click
  4. fall — to drop
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rest — a break
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. fall — to drop
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rest — what's left
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. rest — what's left
  24. leaves — of a tree

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