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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. land — ground
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. land — to come down
  10. content — the amount
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — a country
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wind — moving air
  22. content — happy
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. leaves — to go away

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