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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. kid — child
  8. object — a thing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tube — a container
  12. object — to protest
  13. chest — of your body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lean — to bend
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lean — thin
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chest — a box
  22. object — an aim
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. kid — to tease

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