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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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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: game · spring · object · stick · tear · net · bay · content

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — for catching
  7. spring — the season
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. spring — of water
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. net — after costs
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. object — to protest
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spring — a coil
  16. game — a match
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. content — happy
  19. object — a thing
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — in sport
  24. object — an aim

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