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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bank — of a river
  3. lean — to bend
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bank — for money
  8. tear — to rip
  9. face — to confront
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. content — happy
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lean — thin
  15. bank — for money
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tear — from crying
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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