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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to bend
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. degree — from a university
  18. lean — thin
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wake — before a funeral

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