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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rest — what's left
  8. foot — a measure
  9. content — happy
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. suit — in cards
  13. branch — a division
  14. content — the amount
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. rest — a break
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wound — an injury
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wake — a trail
  23. spring — the season
  24. content — videos and posts

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