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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: wave · trunk · swing · leaves · tear · racket · land · pass

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. land — to come down
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. land — ground
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. swing — in golf
  9. land — a country
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. tear — to rip
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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