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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cell — in biology
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rock — music
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — of the year
  15. content — happy
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. branch — a division
  18. season — in sport
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cell — a phone
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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