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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. band — a ring
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. track — a song
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. track — a path
  9. fork — in a road
  10. content — the amount
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a music group
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wind — moving air
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. content — happy

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