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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wake — a trail
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cold — not warm
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cue — a hint
  10. race — humankind
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cue — for pool
  18. race — the arms race
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. race — a contest
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bark — to shout
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cold — the Cold War

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