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

Word bank: content · bay · saw · kid · stick · bank · cold · nail

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bank — of a river
  5. content — the amount
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. content — happy
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. kid — child
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bank — for money
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — to tease
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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