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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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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: wake · mark · season · saw · dip · leaves · fan · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mark — a grade
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. season — of the year
  24. mark — a trace

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