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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 120 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bank — for money
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bank — for money
  8. chip — to eat
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cold — not warm
  11. track — a path
  12. content — the amount
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — of a plant
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. root — the cause
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. content — happy
  20. root — of a word
  21. tear — to rip
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. track — a song
  24. bank — of a river

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