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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: land · cap · kid · content · lean · nail · swing · bulb

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. content — the amount
  4. land — a country
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. swing — in golf
  8. kid — child
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cap — of ice
  11. swing — music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lean — thin
  15. land — ground
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. swing — to play on
  19. content — happy
  20. land — to come down
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  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