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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 120 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: content · cue · rush · plane · lean · fork · cold · spring

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cold — not warm
  5. spring — of water
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spring — the season
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lean — thin
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. content — happy
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. content — the amount
  21. cue — a hint
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. spring — a coil

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