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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. degree — an amount
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. degree — from a university
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. tube — a container
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. branch — a division
  24. degree — temperature

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