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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 124 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ground — the earth
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rash — a series
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fork — to eat 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