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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · cold · rock · content · bear · land · foot · can

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. foot — a measure
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. land — to come down
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. content — happy
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rock — music
  10. content — the amount
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — an illness
  18. can — to be able to
  19. land — a country
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — ground
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bear — the animal

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