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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lean — to bend
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. mate — a partner
  9. content — the amount
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. mate — a friend
  23. content — happy
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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