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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — to come from
  5. saw — the tool
  6. content — happy
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. saw — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. staff — a stick
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. staff — employees
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wake — a trail
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. dip — to dunk

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