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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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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: foot · spell · wake · lean · bear · content · chair · bay

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. lean — thin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. lean — to bend
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spell — magic
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. spell — letters
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bear — the animal
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wake — a trail
  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