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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. saw — the tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — happy
  6. cell — a phone
  7. shower — rain
  8. band — a ring
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. shower — to wash
  12. content — the amount
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. band — a music group
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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