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

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stem — to come from
  3. content — the amount
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. snap — to click
  6. drill — the tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. drill — a practice
  14. key — for a lock
  15. content — happy
  16. key — in music
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stem — a stem cell

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