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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 · wind · lean · fork · season · scale · sharp · trunk

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. season — of the year
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. content — the amount
  6. wind — moving air
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lean — thin
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. season — in sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. content — happy
  22. scale — in music
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. content — videos and posts

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