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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · rule · pop · leaves · wave · stand

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rule — a law
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rule — government
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pop — music
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wave — of the sea

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