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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bank — for money
  3. content — the amount
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wind — moving air
  15. band — a music group
  16. roll — a cake
  17. band — a ring
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bank — for money
  20. roll — a list
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — happy
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. band — a rubber band

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