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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: pit · bay · mate · leaves · field · foot · spell · wave

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. field — a subject
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mate — a partner
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. field — farmland
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. field — for sport
  22. spell — a short time
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pit — a hole

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