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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — happy
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stem — to come from
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. content — the amount
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mate — to breed

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