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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 124 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: wave · last · fall · foot · hide · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — final
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. last — finally
  9. rock — a stone
  10. last — to go on
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. wave — a sudden rise

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