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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 120 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 · pop · tube · kid · saw · object · lean · rash

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. kid — child
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. kid — to tease
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. content — happy
  11. pop — music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pop — to visit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tube — a container
  18. lean — thin
  19. object — an aim
  20. content — the amount
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pop — soda
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lean — to bend

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