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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: lean · leaves · object · bulb · content · chest · date · capital

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chest — a box
  6. capital — money
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. content — happy
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chest — of your body
  11. date — the fruit
  12. object — a thing
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. lean — thin
  16. object — an aim
  17. chest — of your body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. capital — a city
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bulb — for light

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