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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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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: date · content · bay · present · rash · tear · lean · fork

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. tear — from crying
  3. content — happy
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rash — hasty
  9. present — a gift
  10. rash — a series
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lean — to bend
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — the amount
  24. lean — thin

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