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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 116 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: drill · court · bulb · content · lean · file · bay · wave

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lean — to bend
  3. drill — a practice
  4. content — happy
  5. drill — the tool
  6. court — of a king
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. drill — army training
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — for sport
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bulb — for light
  20. file — a document
  21. lean — thin
  22. court — of law
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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