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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 116 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
468
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: ball · mine · mate · wind · leaves · kick · rock · season

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. season — in sport
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mate — a friend
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mate — to breed
  11. kick — in football
  12. season — of the year
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rock — music
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. leaves — lets stay

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