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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. lean — thin
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bass — low music
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bore — to tire
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. content — happy
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. leaves — of a tree

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