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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. file — a line of people
  4. swing — to play on
  5. file — a document
  6. swing — music
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. net — in sport
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. net — after costs
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. swing — in golf
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. file — a tool
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. shower — to wash
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. snap — to click
  24. shower — rain

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