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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cue — a hint
  7. branch — a division
  8. fall — the season
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — a series
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cue — for pool
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cue — a signal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. content — happy
  24. safe — a strongbox

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