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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.

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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: wave · last · board · club · suit · leaves · shower · sharp

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. sharp — clever
  8. suit — clothes
  9. last — finally
  10. board — a committee
  11. club — for golf
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. shower — rain
  17. board — to get on
  18. suit — to fit
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. last — to go on
  21. suit — in cards
  22. last — final
  23. club — a group
  24. shower — to wash

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