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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: straw · wake · mate · leaves · foot · wind · scale · club

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. club — for golf
  10. mate — to breed
  11. scale — size or range
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wake — a trail
  14. foot — a measure
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mate — a partner
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. club — a group
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. club — for dancing

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