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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: saw · bat · present · mug · wave · hand · ground · leaves

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. mug — to rob
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hand — help
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ground — crushed
  16. present — a gift
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bat — for baseball

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