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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pound — a weight
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. craft — boats
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — a skill
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — the amount
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ground — a position
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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