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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bear — the animal
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. content — the amount
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — to grow
  9. content — happy
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. tube — a container
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. foot — a measure
  24. capital — a city

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