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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fall · ball · wound · leaves · drill · wave · sharp · scale

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. sharp — clever
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. scale — in music
  7. drill — army training
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. fall — to drop
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fall — the season
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ball — a great time
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wave — of the sea

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