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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: content · chest · net · wave · present · dip · lean · roll

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. present — the time now
  3. content — the amount
  4. lean — thin
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. net — after costs
  7. chest — a box
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. net — for catching
  16. present — there
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — in sport
  22. present — a gift
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. dip — a sauce

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