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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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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: kick · chair · face · lean · wound · content · racket · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bear — the animal
  7. content — happy
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. lean — thin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — part of the head
  18. kick — in football
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wound — an injury

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