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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. net — after costs
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. band — a ring
  7. net — for catching
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. capital — money
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. capital — a city
  13. net — in sport
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fork — in a road
  16. content — happy
  17. band — a music group
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lean — thin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mouse — for a computer

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