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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. content — happy
  4. present — a gift
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. content — the amount
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. tear — to rip
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. present — there
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. present — the time now
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chest — a box

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