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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. content — happy
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. suit — clothes
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. content — the amount
  14. lean — thin
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. suit — to fit
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — an illness
  24. suit — in cards

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