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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. board — to get on
  8. field — farmland
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. content — happy
  12. branch — a division
  13. field — a subject
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. file — a line of people
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bear — the animal
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. field — for sport

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