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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. capital — a city
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. content — happy
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. ground — crushed
  14. current — of water
  15. capital — money
  16. kick — in football
  17. branch — a division
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. current — happening now
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. current — electric
  24. content — the amount

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