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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. content — happy
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. content — the amount
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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