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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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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: staff · wind · bay · kid · bowl · content · mate · bear

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. staff — employees
  9. bear — the animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. staff — employees
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. content — the amount
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — happy
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. content — videos and posts

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