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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: leaves · rush · fall · mine · court · date · row · wake

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. court — of law
  5. row — a line
  6. fall — the season
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fall — to drop
  11. court — for sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mine — for digging
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rush — hurry
  20. court — of a king
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. date — the fruit
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wake — a trail

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