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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: wind · pitch · wake · rash · last · leaves · bore · bass

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wind — moving air
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pitch — completely
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. last — to go on
  12. rash — a series
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bass — low music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — finally
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bore — gave birth

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