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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stem — to come from
  4. content — happy
  5. mug — a face
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mate — a friend
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mug — a cup
  20. swing — music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. content — the amount
  24. swing — in golf

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