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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: bowl · leaves · spring · wound · tear · pitch · drill · wave

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spring — the season
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spring — of water
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitch — completely
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — a practice
  19. tear — from crying
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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