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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. content — happy
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mug — to rob
  15. content — the amount
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mug — a face
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mug — a cup
  24. hide — to keep secret

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