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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 120 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: mouse · wave · tear · ball · cold · leaves · staff · scale

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. scale — in music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. scale — size or range
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cold — not warm
  10. staff — employees
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. staff — employees
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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