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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lean — to bend
  3. content — the amount
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. lean — thin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. content — happy
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mine — for digging

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