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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — to be able to
  4. content — the amount
  5. tear — to rip
  6. track — to keep track
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bulb — for light
  9. can — a tin
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — a song
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mug — to rob
  14. tear — from crying
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mug — a cup
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. track — a path
  21. shower — rain
  22. can — a tin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a face

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