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

Word bank: straw · content · spring · leaves · kid · bear · bay · root

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. spring — a coil
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spring — the season
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. root — the cause
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — child
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. root — of a word
  16. spring — of water
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bear — the animal
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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