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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. content — happy
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ground — a position
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mark — a trace
  10. content — the amount
  11. net — in sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ground — the earth
  15. net — after costs
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bound — certain
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stem — of a plant

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