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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. land — to come down
  4. bear — the animal
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bound — obliged
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — ground
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. bear — the animal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bound — tied together
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a line
  24. land — a country

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