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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: leaves · wound · chest · spell · present · bulb · shower · track

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. track — a song
  3. chest — of your body
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. present — a gift
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. chest — a box
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — to keep track
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wound — an injury
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. spell — magic
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. track — a path
  21. spell — letters
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. present — there

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