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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. content — happy
  6. lean — to bend
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. object — to protest
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. suit — clothes
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. suit — to fit
  21. lean — thin
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — high quality
  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