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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. content — happy
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. content — the amount
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bulb — for light
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. drill — a practice
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. drill — army training
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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