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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. row — a line
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. hand — in cards
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. row — to paddle
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bulb — for light
  16. snap — to click
  17. shower — to wash
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. shower — rain
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hand — help

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