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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mug — to rob
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. scale — in music
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. scale — size or range
  18. content — the amount
  19. mug — a face
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. staff — employees
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wave — with your hand

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