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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. land — ground
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. branch — a division
  8. row — a line
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. content — the amount
  11. land — a country
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. deal — to handle
  15. land — to come down
  16. row — to paddle
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pass — a permit
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. content — happy
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pass — to succeed

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