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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wound — an injury
  7. saw — the tool
  8. present — a gift
  9. content — happy
  10. bear — the animal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. row — a line
  15. content — the amount
  16. present — there
  17. wound — an injury
  18. present — the time now
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. row — to paddle
  23. key — in music
  24. leaves — to go away

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