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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. saw — the tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. lean — to bend
  9. content — happy
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pop — soda
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lean — thin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. content — the amount
  22. pop — music
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bear — to put up with

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