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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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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: leaves · kick · kid · cap · cabinet · saw · wave · march

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cap — of ice
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. march — the month
  12. kick — in football
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. kid — child

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