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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. root — the cause
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cold — an illness
  9. season — of the year
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lean — to bend
  16. season — in sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. cold — not warm
  23. root — of a word
  24. lean — to rest against

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