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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. season — of the year
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rush — hurry
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. can — a tin
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pitch — a sports field

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