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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: lean · foot · lie · content · kick · fork · date · shower

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. date — the fruit
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. content — happy
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lean — thin
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. kick — in football
  17. content — the amount
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lie — to recline
  23. foot — a measure
  24. lean — to rest against

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