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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. 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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. snap — to click
  4. bank — for money
  5. content — the amount
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spell — letters
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bank — of a river
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bank — for money
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stem — to come from
  23. content — happy
  24. 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