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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. field — a subject
  6. content — the amount
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. stem — to come from
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. field — farmland
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. field — for sport
  16. sharp — clever
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. content — happy
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bass — low music

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