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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — magic
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lean — thin
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. spell — letters
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lean — to bend

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