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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. season — of the year
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. roll — a list
  9. last — to go on
  10. season — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. can — a tin
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. roll — a cake
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. object — a thing
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. object — an aim
  23. wound — an injury
  24. object — to protest

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