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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: wake · hide · rush · leaves · wave · straw · cold · court

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rush — hurry
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. court — for sport
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cold — not warm
  23. court — of law
  24. cold — the Cold War

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