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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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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: bear · wave · wound · bay · straw · chair · leaves · mate

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chair — a leader
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mate — to breed
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wave — of the sea

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