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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · season · bark · wave · cue · face · leaves · fan

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — in sport
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. season — of the year
  12. face — to confront
  13. clip — a video
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — to cut
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fan — a supporter

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