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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: mate · bay · bear · object · march · fan · content · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. content — happy
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. object — an aim
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. march — the month
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. object — to protest
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. content — the amount
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. object — a thing
  24. fan — a supporter

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