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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · kid · pitcher · calf · lie · spring · trunk · date

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kid — to tease
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spring — the season
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — a coil
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. spring — of water
  17. content — happy
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kid — child

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