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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. content — the amount
  4. pound — a weight
  5. lean — thin
  6. content — happy
  7. cap — of ice
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cap — a lid
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. sharp — clever
  21. band — a music group
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pound — to hit hard

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