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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — the amount
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spell — letters
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. perch — the fish
  14. season — of the year
  15. spell — magic
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bank — for money
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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