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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.

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: wound · cold · pop · suit · craft · content · bear · object

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — clothes
  10. content — happy
  11. cold — an illness
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cold — not warm
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. craft — boats
  21. object — an aim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — the amount
  24. bear — the animal

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