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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · cabinet · branch · ground · bear · content · wake · cue

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — the amount
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cue — for pool
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — the earth
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. content — happy
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fall — the season
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ground — a position
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cue — a hint
  20. branch — a division
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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