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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: bay · mate · rash · content · lie · chest · lean · spring

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rash — a series
  12. content — happy
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. spring — the season
  15. lean — thin
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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