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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. hand — help
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. toast — bread
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. hand — in cards
  11. current — of water
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. current — electric
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lie — to recline
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. current — happening now

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