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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: leaves · wake · saw · scale · mate · sharp · season · present

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — a friend
  8. season — of the year
  9. present — the time now
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. scale — size or range
  14. present — there
  15. saw — the tool
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. mate — to breed
  22. present — a gift
  23. mate — a partner
  24. scale — in music

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