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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 116 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. kick — in football
  9. degree — an amount
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wind — moving air
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bank — for money
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bank — for money
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. sharp — clever
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. leaves — to go away

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