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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: wave · scale · hide · leaves · fork · cap · straw · kick

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. scale — size or range
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. scale — in music
  15. kick — in football
  16. cap — of ice
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cap — a lid
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. scale — for weighing

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