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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
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: leaves · kid · stock · wave · wound · game · pass · press

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wound — an injury
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. game — a match
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stock — shares
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. press — newspapers
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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