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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. lean — to bend
  4. content — happy
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. scale — size or range
  11. can — a tin
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. content — the amount
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lean — thin
  18. stem — to come from
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. spring — the season
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. scale — in music

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