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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
468
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: leaves · foot · wound · cell · pitcher · hand · season · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — in cards
  9. season — of the year
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cell — a phone
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — help
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitcher — a jug

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