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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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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: hand · saw · leaves · fall · pitcher · rush · bark · mate

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mate — a friend
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — help
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mate — to breed
  24. leaves — lets stay

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