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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rock — music
  4. lean — to bend
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — electric
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. current — happening now
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rock — a stone
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. branch — a division
  18. current — of water
  19. dip — to sink
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — thin

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