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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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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: pitcher · kid · content · leaves · trunk · wind · mate · saw

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mate — a partner
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. content — happy
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mate — to breed
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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