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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bat — the animal
  5. season — in sport
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. season — of the year
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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