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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: content · track · mug · pop · pitcher · tear · lean · object

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. lean — thin
  6. track — to keep track
  7. content — happy
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mug — a face
  13. lean — to bend
  14. track — a path
  15. mug — a cup
  16. track — a song
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — to rob
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pop — soda
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. content — the amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pop — music

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