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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: wave · drill · court · swing · leaves · stem · pitcher · snap

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. drill — army training
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — a practice
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. snap — to click
  24. drill — the tool

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