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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. track — a path
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. hand — help
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. track — a song
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. track — to keep track

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