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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. content — the amount
  7. race — a contest
  8. rash — hasty
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. race — the arms race
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rash — a series
  16. content — happy
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. race — humankind
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cold — an illness

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