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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. march — the month
  6. present — there
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. present — a gift
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. present — the time now
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — to bend
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. march — music
  24. bear — to put up with

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