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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. hand — help
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. branch — a division
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rock — music
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. content — the amount
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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