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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bass — the fish
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. game — a match
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — to keep track
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bass — low music
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wave — of the sea

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