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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. content — happy
  3. firm — decided
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stem — to come from
  13. chair — a leader
  14. content — the amount
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. tear — from crying
  17. firm — steady
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lean — thin
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. firm — a company
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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