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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lean — thin
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spring — a coil
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. spring — of water
  14. lean — to bend
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spring — the season
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wound — an injury
  24. face — to confront

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