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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. content — happy
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. content — the amount
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass

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