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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. root — of a word
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bank — for money
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cue — a signal
  7. content — happy
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. root — the cause
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. root — of a plant
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spring — of water
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — for pool
  24. content — the amount

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