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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — a path
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. row — to paddle
  7. march — music
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. content — the amount
  10. march — the month
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. row — a line
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bear — the animal
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. march — the month
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. content — happy
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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