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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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lean — to bend
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. squash — the sport
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bear — the animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lean — thin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cap — a hat

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