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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.

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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: bear · deal · can · wind · row · temple · pit · content

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bear — the animal
  5. can — to be able to
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. row — a line
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. can — a tin
  10. pit — a hole
  11. content — happy
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — to paddle
  16. can — a tin
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. deal — to handle
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. content — the amount
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. deal — a big deal

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