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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. content — the amount
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. land — a country
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. net — after costs
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — an injury
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — a coil
  19. land — ground
  20. root — of a word
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. content — happy
  23. spring — of water
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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