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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. spring — the season
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pitch — completely
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. content — the amount
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. game — wild animals
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lean — thin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. content — happy
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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