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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — a video
  6. content — the amount
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pound — a weight
  11. content — happy
  12. rock — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — to come from
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — a position
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. nail — on a finger

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