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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spring — of water
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. spring — a coil
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. row — a line
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spring — the season
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bulb — for light
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bulb — of a plant

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