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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 120 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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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: wake · season · object · pop · row · firm · cold · foot

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. season — of the year
  4. object — an aim
  5. wake — a trail
  6. season — in sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. row — a line
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cold — an illness
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cold — not warm
  15. object — a thing
  16. firm — steady
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pop — music
  20. object — to protest
  21. firm — a company
  22. row — to paddle
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. firm — decided

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