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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. dip — to sink
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. scale — in music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stem — to come from
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. swing — music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pop — soda
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. swing — to play on
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pop — music
  24. bark — to shout

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