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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: bay · cell · foot · lie · lean · bound · wind · content

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. content — the amount
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bound — obliged
  8. content — happy
  9. bound — certain
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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