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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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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: rule · deal · wind · leaves · wake · chair · mouse · row

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rule — government
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rule — a law
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chair — a leader
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. row — a line
  24. leaves — of a tree

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