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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cue · bear · leaves · track · mine · row · kid · season

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. track — a path
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mine — for digging
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. track — to keep track
  10. row — a line
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bear — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cue — a hint
  20. track — a song
  21. season — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bear — to put up with

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