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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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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: kid · lean · rest · bay · dip · land · coach · content

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. land — to come down
  5. lean — thin
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. content — the amount
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kid — child
  14. dip — to sink
  15. content — happy
  16. rest — a break
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. lean — to bend
  24. dip — to dunk

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