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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: net · mine · rush · rock · saw · chair · leaves · wake

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chair — a leader
  6. net — after costs
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. net — for catching
  21. wake — a trail
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. net — in sport

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