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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — the month
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. march — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. content — the amount
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — happy
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — thin
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. content — videos and posts

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