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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 · staff · craft · row · wake · fork · toast · content

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. craft — boats
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. row — a line
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wake — a trail
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. toast — bread
  20. staff — a stick
  21. fork — in a road
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. craft — a skill
  24. wake — before a funeral

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