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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bore — to tire
  4. season — of the year
  5. last — final
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. plane — a tool
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bore — to drill
  10. last — finally
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. branch — a division
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. season — in sport
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. last — to go on
  24. deal — to handle

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