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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: wound · mouse · rest · leaves · fine · snap · staff · pitch

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. staff — employees
  12. rest — a break
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. staff — employees
  17. fine — all right
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rest — what's left

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