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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bear — the animal
  3. land — ground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. spell — letters
  9. content — happy
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — to come down
  12. spell — a short time
  13. craft — boats
  14. content — the amount
  15. craft — a skill
  16. land — a country
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mark — a trace
  23. spell — magic
  24. trunk — of a car

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