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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. spell — letters
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. season — in sport
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. season — of the year
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spell — a short time
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. spell — magic
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. foot — a measure

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