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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · snap · leaves · roll · court · wound · pop · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — a list
  6. wound — an injury
  7. roll — a cake
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. land — a country
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. court — of law
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pop — music
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pop — soda
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pop — to visit
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. snap — to click

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