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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. scale — in music
  6. content — happy
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kid — to tease
  11. tube — a container
  12. kid — child
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. tube — the underground
  17. kick — in football
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. content — the amount
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. scale — size or range

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