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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — to confront
  4. content — the amount
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tube — a container
  8. current — happening now
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. current — electric
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. field — for sport
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. content — happy
  19. stem — to come from
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. current — of water
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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