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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: lean · tube · board · wound · content · fan · bear · net

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lean — thin
  5. net — for catching
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. content — happy
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. content — the amount
  13. board — to get on
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. board — a committee
  17. tube — a container
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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