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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bear — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. game — a match
  17. rash — a series
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bear — the animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bear — to put up with

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