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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: fork · dip · last · content · lean · bulb · jam · lash

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. last — final
  3. content — happy
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. last — to go on
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — thin
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lean — to bend
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. content — the amount
  21. bulb — for light
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. fork — in a road
  24. last — finally

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