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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. content — the amount
  5. wind — moving air
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. content — happy
  9. craft — boats
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bound — tied together
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lean — thin
  16. bound — obliged
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bound — certain
  20. vault — a safe
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. lean — to rest against

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