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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: content · bank · fall · pitcher · foot · bear · sharp · date

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. content — the amount
  4. bank — for money
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — clever
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bear — the animal
  14. content — happy
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fall — the season
  17. bank — for money
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. foot — part of the body

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