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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. staff — employees
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. shower — to wash
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bear — the animal
  8. track — a song
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. shower — rain
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. track — a path
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. staff — a stick
  17. content — the amount
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bear — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. staff — employees

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