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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 116 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: mine · calf · last · season · content · mark · leaves · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. last — finally
  7. content — the amount
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. content — happy
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. leaves — of a tree

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