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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: last · leaves · wound · row · object · wave · spell · rush

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. object — an aim
  3. last — final
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — letters
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — to go on
  10. rush — hurry
  11. spell — a short time
  12. row — a line
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. object — to protest
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spell — magic
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. last — finally
  22. object — a thing
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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