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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: content · chip · lean · mouse · stick · bear · mark · shower

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — thin
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chip — to eat
  15. shower — rain
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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