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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. tear — from crying
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lean — thin
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lean — to bend
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cell — a phone
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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