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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. content — happy
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. content — the amount
  13. can — to be able to
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. land — to come down
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stem — to come from
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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