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

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. lean — thin
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bound — obliged
  7. content — the amount
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. bank — for money
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bank — for money
  17. content — happy
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lean — to bend

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