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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 · date · stock · arm · lean · ball · wind · bulb

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bulb — for light
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stock — goods
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stock — shares
  18. lean — thin
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. content — happy
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. content — the amount
  24. date — on the calendar

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