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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. content — the amount
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ball — a great time
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. perch — the fish
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bass — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bass — low music
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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