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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: deal · content · band · hand · bay · spring · lean · saw

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. band — a music group
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a ring
  16. saw — the tool
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spring — of water
  20. lean — to bend
  21. saw — the tool
  22. content — happy
  23. spring — the season
  24. content — the amount

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