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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. last — finally
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. last — final
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. row — a line
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. last — to go on
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wound — an injury

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